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The MMF has spent the last few years exploring how money flows from streaming services through to artists via our ‘Dissecting The Digital Dollar’ series of reports and guides produced with CMU Insights. This has included reviewing the debate around how the ‘digital pie’ is sliced, ie the ongoing discussions over how streaming income is … Continue reading "MMF Song Royalties Guide"

Over the past decades, cultural and creative industries have gained recognition as important components of our society due to their role in the enrichment and development of culture (UNESCO, 2009). This importance of these industries are constituted by both economic and non-economic elements (impact on social cohesion, values, creative innovation, etc.). In recent years a … Continue reading "European Survey on the Renumeration of Audiovisual Authors"

The global recorded music market grew by 9.7% in 2018, the fourth consecutive year of growth. Figures released today in IFPI’s Global Music Report 2019 show total revenues for 2018 were US$19.1 billion.

The final results of a survey on European audiovisual authors’ remuneration demonstrate the urgent need for action to improve their situation. As the European Parliament is about to vote on the Directive for Copyright in the Digital Single Market which features essential provisions to improve authors’ remuneration, FERA, FSE and SAA urge MEPs to adopt … Continue reading "EUROPEAN SURVEY ON THE REMUNERATION OF AUDIOVISUAL AUTHORS"

The music industry is in the midst of two profound changes. First, consumers are increasingly opting to rent — rather than buy — music. Second, the demise of physical music has prompted artists to tour more often, driving significant growth in concerts and festivals.

Rights and Revenues for Music Performers Since its inception in 1948, The International Federation of Musicians (FIM) has been working towards the recognition of intellectual property rights for music performers. FIM’s efforts have led or contributed to the adoption, at international level, of the Rome Convention (1961), the WPPT (1996) and the Beijing Treaty … Continue reading "Rights and Revenues for Music Performers"

Music continues its comeback story, powered by great new music, talented artists and a re-invented record industry. A business growing again, driven by a competitive paid streaming market, means new investments in more artists and more music. That is fundamentally what we’re all about.

Tomorrow the European Parliament votes on new copyright law which has the potential to transform the livelihood of the talent. Every writer and performer should be looking eastward tomorrow (September 12th) for the EU Parliamentary vote on a new copyright law for the digital marketplace. Parts of the text have the power to be … Continue reading "Key Vote for the Talent tomorrow at EU Parliament"

The function of a music publisher on behalf of a songwriter or composer is threefold: To fund the production of original works; to promote the works by seeking exploitation opportunities; and to manage the licensing of rights and the resulting income, paying the money to the author according to contract. Different cultures prevail as … Continue reading "HOW SONGWRITERS AND COMPOSERS ARE CONTRACTED AND PAID"

A traditional contract between a band or solo artist and a record label is an interacting mesh of rights and obligations borne by both parties. No prizes for guessing which party carries the most obligations and which leads the field in having rights. That said, each party agrees to honour their respective roles in the … Continue reading "HOW RECORDING ARTISTS ARE CONTRACTED AND PAID"

“The big print giveth and the small print taketh away. ” – Tom Waits LABELS’ FAIR DIGITAL DEALS DECLARATION We make the following declaration in connection with the distribution of recordings in digital services. We will: Ensure that artists’ share of download and streaming revenues is clearly explained in recording agreements and royalty statements in … Continue reading "Fair Digital Deals Declaration"

Introduction A new class of website has arisen during this century that is based on users uploading materials (copyrighted and not) that other users can consume. These sites are described in several different ways, but I shall refer to them as user uploaded content (UUC) sites. The largest such site, YouTube, has well over a … Continue reading "ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SAFE HARBOR PROVISIONS"

INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Nielsen Music Year-End Report, which examines the trends shaping the music industry with de nitive consumption gures and charts. The surge in streaming continued throughout 2017, topping all forms of music consumption. The industry had another record-breaking year, with 12.5% growth in music consumption year over year. For the rst time … Continue reading "Nielsen 2017 year end music report us"

INTRODUCTION The audiovisual industry makes a vital contribution to Europe both economically and culturally. There are approximately one million people directly working in the European audiovisual industry, an industry with ¤122 billion in revenues in 2013. 1,551 feature films were produced in 2013, box office receipts were ¤6.28 billion and a staggering 8,828 television channels … Continue reading "SAA 2nd Edition White paper on AV Authors Remuneration"

Rights and Revenues for Actors Behind the Glamour Performers working in the audiovisual sector, whether in film, television or digital media, have been effectively subsidising these industries for as long as they have existed. This may sound like a bold statement, but it is in fact quite accurate for an overwhelming majority of them. … Continue reading "Rights and Revenues for Actors"

How Screenwriters and Directors actually Get Paid The importance of fair remuneration for our culture and economies When one thinks about writers and directors, one instinctively pictures the handful of superstar movie moguls that in our minds, define the profession. The reality however is that the overwhelming majority of audiovisual creators are relatively unknown, self-employed … Continue reading "How Screenwriters and Directors actually Get Paid"

Overview The way creative works (such as music, film and TV series, books and others) are accessed by users has seen a huge transformation in the last ten years. With the rapid evolution of the digital world, new business models and services have developed along with new channels of delivery. This has also changed the … Continue reading "CISAC position paper on the transfer of value"

Audiovisual Authors’ Remuneration Challenges for fairness in the digital eraclose

A useful illustrated guide to how audio visual authors are remunerated for their creative work and the gross imbalance in negotiating strength between authors and the broadcasters/entertainment industry.

Performers’ Rights in International and European Legislation: Situation and Elements for Improvementclose

Introduction Under international, European and national legislations, performers are granted a protection for their performances in the field of music, audiovisual, dance or any other category of performing arts. Those rights are generally called performers’ rights. Like authors’ rights, performers’ rights can be divided in two categories: moral rights and economic rights.

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This site seeks to encourage creative artistic talent to obtain fairness and justice in the exploitation of the works they create.

The operators of Fairness Rocks accept no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, or otherwise, of the material featured. The information is intended only as a general guide to the film and music industries. Nothing on this site should be relied upon as legal advice. A specialist copyright legal adviser should be consulted where a reader has a particular legal or commercial issue in relation to matters referenced.